Four Students Take Top Honors in 6th Annual National Video Contest on America’s Transportation Infrastructure

High school students from Washington state and Massachusetts, an undergraduate at New York University and a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon were all named winners of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s (ARTBA) 6^th annual “Student Transportation Video Contest.” The selections were announced during the Oct. 4-6 ARTBA National Convention, held in Tucson, Ariz. They will each receive a $500 cash prize.

The association received 30 entries this year in two categories, general transportation and a new safety category. Sponsored by ARTBA’s Research and Education Division (RED), the contest aims to raise awareness about infrastructure issues by challenging students to develop a brief video exploring various topics relating to America’s transportation network. Submission topics ranged from funding the Interstate Highway System, developing public transit, transportation innovation, infrastructure for cyclists, distracted driving, and autonomous vehicles.

The competition was advertised on college scholarship websites, posted on online video contest sites, shared with Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC) members and high schools that focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). It was also shared on ARTBA’s social media accounts. Submissions were reviewed and winners selected by a panel of ARTBA members.General Transportation Category

Age Group One (Elementary, Middle or High School Students)

Josh Jaffe, Seattle Academy, Seattle, Wash.

Jaffe is an 11^th grader at Seattle Academy. His video discusses the need to further develop the city’s public transit system to accommodate a growing population, making suggestions to expand and repair current infrastructure to access more communities.

Age Group Two (Post-Secondary/College/Graduate Level)

Timothy Gersten, New York University, New York City

Gersten, a film and television major at NYU, describes in his video how infrastructure is financed through  the federal gas tax. He mentions how lagging funding leaves roadways and bridges significantly deficient, and suggests further investment to renew, promote sustainability and develop infrastructure plans.

Safety Category

Age Group One (Elementary, Middle or High School Students)

Christopher Pomeroy, Hopkinton High School, Hopkinton, Mass.

Pomeroy’s video discusses the need to incorporate more autonomous vehicles on the road to improve safety for all drivers and reduce road accidents. He is an 11^th grader at Hopkinton High.

Age Group Two (Post-Secondary/College/Graduate Level)

Abdi Musse, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Musse is a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute. His video focuses on the need to improve work zone safety conditions to prevent accidents and deaths. It promotes avoiding distracted driving by limiting phone usage and obeying work zone signage.

Established in 1902, Washington, D.C.-based ARTBA is the “consensus voice” of the U.S. transportation design and construction industry before Congress, federal agencies, the White House, news media and the general public